How Altavane Link works
Altavane Link is a small hardware module and software layer that sits between a drone's flight controller and its satellite terminal. Customers supply their own satellite terminals and airtime; Altavane does not resell satellite service.
Every command is authenticated
Commands are signed and checked before the flight controller acts on them. A spoofed or replayed command is rejected at the module.
A hybrid key exchange
Sessions are set up using a classical method (X25519) together with a post-quantum method (ML-KEM-768), and commands are signed with ML-DSA-65. The design aims to keep a session secret if either key-exchange method were broken.
Failover without starting again
If one satellite network is jammed or lost, the module moves to a second network without a new key exchange, so control is not interrupted by a fresh handshake.
A signed record
Each command is logged in a signed record of who commanded what, which supports investigation and accountability after a mission.
Altavane Watch
A companion console shows operators the trust state of each link and raises an alert when a link is degraded or a command is rejected.
These are design properties. They have been analysed and tested in software and simulation, not yet on a hardware bench or in flight.